Published: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 7:05 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, February 14, 2013 at 7:41 p.m.

DELTONA — In preparation for the coming Major League Soccer season, nearly 40 Philadelphia Union players scrimmaged Thursday as city officials marveled at their skills.

Facts

If you go

WHAT: Public events with the Philadelphia Union soccer club in Deltona. KIDS CLINIC: The team will coach local youth soccer players starting at 11 a.m. Monday (Presidents Day). To register, visit www.deltonafl.gov and look for the Philadelphia Union link on the home page. PRACTICE MATCH: The Union hosts DC United, a competitor in Major League Soccer, in a "friendly" match on Wednesday. Warm-ups start at 5 p.m. and the match begins at 6 p.m. WHERE: Both events are at Dewey O. Boster Sports Complex, 1200 Saxon Blvd., Deltona COST: Both events are free.

City Commissioner Fred Lowry, Mayor John Masiarczyk and other city and business leaders, about 20 in all, had breakfast and met with members of the Philadelphia Union before their practice, one in a series of events scheduled during the team's spring training in Deltona.

Like all professional sports franchises, the 4-year-old Union will survive by attracting fans to not only buy tickets, but also merchandise and wares from the team's sponsors.

Club officials say they are following a model not unlike that of the Philadelphia Phillies, who train at a baseball complex in Clearwater each February and March.

"That's where I grew up (in nearby Dunedin)," team manager John Hackworth said. "So many people come down from Philly. It's a win-win. You see your team play, you see a lot of players. You get to enjoy what I call the 'Chamber of Commerce' weather."

The Union is hosting a weekend trip for its northern fans to see preseason matches against Montreal at EverBank Field in Jacksonville on Friday, against Toronto at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World on Saturday and a 10 a.m. practice and noon barbecue Sunday in Deltona.

Hundreds of fans are expected, said Ashley Dabb, the team's director of marketing operations.

In addition to attracting fans from the Northeast for a few mild Central Florida days, Philadelphia and other clubs in the 17-year-old North American league are trying to grow their brand recognition. To do that, they need to start by connecting with young people.

"Youth soccer in this country is massive," said Dabb, herself a former soccer player. "What we're doing in Deltona is what we've done in Philadelphia on a larger scale."

Hackworth, the manager, said the outreach is essential for the league, the club and even individual players.

"You have young soccer players, and they need to have idols," Hackworth said. "They can get their photo taken with Sebastien Le Toux and put it up on their wall and say, 'I want to be like him someday.' "

While in Deltona, the Union has already hosted two clinics for youth soccer players and is planning a third Monday. The highlight of the Deltona training camp promises to be a match between the Union and Eastern Conference rival D.C. United at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

The mutual interests of the city and the soccer club are a "perfect match," said Nick Conte Jr., executive director of the DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce and Orange City Alliance.

"Here's a community, let's face it, that is trying to find its own identity, and the sports piece works," Conte said. "Who knows what this might look like in five or 10 years?"

Lowry said he envisions a scenario where Deltona develops its soccer facilities and possibly even attracts a second major league soccer club, as some communities (Fort Myers, Jupiter) have done with baseball.

Lowry got his start playing soccer in high school and at the University of Tennessee. He later coached high school teams for several years in West Virginia, and believes Deltona is the right kind of community to host spring training soccer.

"(Deltona) is a sports town," Lowry said. "Youth sports could give this city an identity."

Actually, Hackworth said, Deltona is already a known entity in soccer circles. He recalls recruiting soccer stars for the University of South Florida when he was the coach there.

"I was always surprised at the quality of youth soccer players that came out of Deltona," Hackworth said. "I had never heard of it before I started recruiting it. Part of it is the population and the cultural mix, and they have a facility that has some of the best fields we've seen anywhere."

If you go

WHAT: Public events with the Philadelphia Union soccer club in Deltona.

KIDS CLINIC: The team will coach local youth soccer players starting at 11 a.m. Monday (Presidents Day). To register, visit www.deltonafl.gov and look for the Philadelphia Union link on the home page.

PRACTICE MATCH: The Union hosts DC United, a competitor in Major League Soccer, in a "friendly" match on Wednesday. Warm-ups start at 5 p.m. and the match begins at 6 p.m.

<p>DELTONA &mdash; In preparation for the coming Major League Soccer season, nearly 40 Philadelphia Union players scrimmaged Thursday as city officials marveled at their skills. </p><p>City Commissioner Fred Lowry, Mayor John Masiarczyk and other city and business leaders, about 20 in all, had breakfast and met with members of the Philadelphia Union before their practice, one in a series of events scheduled during the team's spring training in Deltona. </p><p>Like all professional sports franchises, the 4-year-old Union will survive by attracting fans to not only buy tickets, but also merchandise and wares from the team's sponsors. </p><p>Club officials say they are following a model not unlike that of the Philadelphia Phillies, who train at a baseball complex in Clearwater each February and March. </p><p>"That's where I grew up (in nearby Dunedin)," team manager John Hackworth said. "So many people come down from Philly. It's a win-win. You see your team play, you see a lot of players. You get to enjoy what I call the 'Chamber of Commerce' weather." </p><p>The Union is hosting a weekend trip for its northern fans to see preseason matches against Montreal at EverBank Field in Jacksonville on Friday, against Toronto at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Disney World on Saturday and a 10 a.m. practice and noon barbecue Sunday in Deltona. </p><p>Hundreds of fans are expected, said Ashley Dabb, the team's director of marketing operations. </p><p>In addition to attracting fans from the Northeast for a few mild Central Florida days, Philadelphia and other clubs in the 17-year-old North American league are trying to grow their brand recognition. To do that, they need to start by connecting with young people. </p><p>"Youth soccer in this country is massive," said Dabb, herself a former soccer player. "What we're doing in Deltona is what we've done in Philadelphia on a larger scale." </p><p>Hackworth, the manager, said the outreach is essential for the league, the club and even individual players. </p><p>"You have young soccer players, and they need to have idols," Hackworth said. "They can get their photo taken with Sebastien Le Toux and put it up on their wall and say, 'I want to be like him someday.' " </p><p>While in Deltona, the Union has already hosted two clinics for youth soccer players and is planning a third Monday. The highlight of the Deltona training camp promises to be a match between the Union and Eastern Conference rival D.C. United at 6 p.m. Wednesday. </p><p>The mutual interests of the city and the soccer club are a "perfect match," said Nick Conte Jr., executive director of the DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce and Orange City Alliance. </p><p>"Here's a community, let's face it, that is trying to find its own identity, and the sports piece works," Conte said. "Who knows what this might look like in five or 10 years?" </p><p>Lowry said he envisions a scenario where Deltona develops its soccer facilities and possibly even attracts a second major league soccer club, as some communities (Fort Myers, Jupiter) have done with baseball. </p><p>Lowry got his start playing soccer in high school and at the University of Tennessee. He later coached high school teams for several years in West Virginia, and believes Deltona is the right kind of community to host spring training soccer. </p><p>"(Deltona) is a sports town," Lowry said. "Youth sports could give this city an identity." </p><p>Actually, Hackworth said, Deltona is already a known entity in soccer circles. He recalls recruiting soccer stars for the University of South Florida when he was the coach there. </p><p>"I was always surprised at the quality of youth soccer players that came out of Deltona," Hackworth said. "I had never heard of it before I started recruiting it. Part of it is the population and the cultural mix, and they have a facility that has some of the best fields we've seen anywhere."</p><p></p><p><b>If you go</b> </p><p><b>WHAT:</b> Public events with the Philadelphia Union soccer club in Deltona. </p><p><b>KIDS CLINIC:</b> The team will coach local youth soccer players starting at 11 a.m. Monday (Presidents Day). To register, visit www.deltonafl.gov and look for the Philadelphia Union link on the home page. </p><p><b>PRACTICE MATCH:</b> The Union hosts DC United, a competitor in Major League Soccer, in a "friendly" match on Wednesday. Warm-ups start at 5 p.m. and the match begins at 6 p.m. </p><p><b>WHERE:</b> Both events are at Dewey O. Boster Sports Complex, 1200 Saxon Blvd., Deltona </p><p><b>COST:</b> Both events are free.</p>